ORLANDO, Fla. – As many people sat down for Thanksgiving meals, thousands of others did not.
They didn't have enough money, they didn't have family nearby or they didn't have a home to go to.
"It's not easy. It's not. I mean, it's sad," Darrell Stevenson said.
Stevenson knows firsthand how sad it can be to not have a place to lay your head at night. He said he was once the one getting help at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission.
Now, he's working there helping others.
"When you're out of your luck, a hot meal is special," he said. "But Thanksgiving is a family time."
Enter Victor Scott, another man who used to be homeless. Thursday, he and his organization, the Victor Scott Project, helped orchestrate a Thanksgiving dinner at the rescue mission.
"We are all about doing things on the day that they were supposed to be done, and not the day after and not the day before," he said. "That's what this project is about."
The food overflowed the plates and serving dishes in the kitchen.
The kindness of the dinner's organizers caught the attention of former New York Giants player Ron Dixon, who stopped by to volunteer.
"I know there's a lot of people who find themselves in certain circumstances that they didn't create themselves. So it's always nice to give back to some people who are in a little need," Dixon said.
This holiday, the Orlando Union Rescue Mission served more than 600 meals.
Stevenson said he hopes it brought a sense of family and inspiration.
"We bring hope," he said. "We bring compassion. We let somebody know that we do care. Somebody does care."